Biff's Place

A Great Way to Lower Earth's Temperature

2009-12-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

Rather than reaching an agreement on making "carbon credit" transfer payments to developing countries, lets just call previous aid payments "carbon credits". That's gotta be good for, what, 2 degrees Celsius.

We need to be careful not to apportion too much past aid though. We don't want to lower the planet's temps too much. I'm thinking changing the name of "aid" given by the West from...say... 1986 onwards should be about right. Should cool things down in a jiffy.

However, in order to keep temperatures up in really cold places like Winnipeg and Edmonton, a portion of Canada's aid given will be withheld from the accounting.

UPDATE: Due to the incredibly strong demand by folks in Winnipeg and Edmonton to raise their respective temperatures, it's been decided that not only will a portion of Canadian past aid be withheld from the accounting, a group of Western Canadians will actually go to various developing countries and take back the aid we have given.
UPDATE II: Great ideas in the comments. Heck, we can solve "global warming" today, right here!
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"Meaningful Deal" Reached In Copenhagen... At the Hands of THE ONE

2009-12-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

How do we know it's "meaningful"? Obama said it is so. And so it shall be written.

We've reached the epicenter of leftist media nirvana. Where AGW fever and Obama worship meet.
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Easy Way To "Warm" the World Average Temps: Leave out Siberia

2009-12-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

The brazenness of the manipulation is almost comical. The Russians are saying its weather stations (a lot of them) showing cooling or lack of warming, were simply left out of the global temperature accounting. Kate has it all.
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BBC Interviews Computer Programmer on Released CRU Coding - It's Not Reliable

2009-12-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

A chilling interview (by the BBC...yes the BBC) with a computer programmer who's gone through the released coding from the CRU. To think that trillions are riding on this is the scandal of the century.

In short, the coding is an absolute mess and inherently unreliable. The video is brief, watch it all.
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Reaction to Climategate Tells us More About AGW Than Climategate Itself

2009-12-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

To not be at least mildly skeptical in the face of that which cries out for further answers, is to have a faith based belief system.

The shaky fundamental tenets of AGW, the unreliable modelling, the actual evidence contradicting the models, the natural warming and cooling cycles of the planet left unexplained, the incestuous relationship between the UN, key AGW scientists, and "science reporters" all with highly politicized motives, and not the least of which, the emails themselves, cry out for skepticism, if not a repudiation of AGW.

That there are so many who lack even a modicum skepticism at this point, only reifies the concerns that AGW is a politicized and dogmatic belief system that has precious little to do with the objective search for the truth via a dispassionate scientific method.
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Richness of the Day

2009-12-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

Several posters at Macleans Blog have been following their brethren in the MSM in serially posting on the Afghan Prisoner issue. I've been asserting that this is a pet left wing issue that doesn't move everyday Canadians.

The latest post at Macleans is one mocking Hillier's quote in the post title: "I Haven't Followed It". How fitting for all the wrong reasons. You see, Macleans has a feature on the right side of the blog page, which tracks the "most read" posts.

Notwithstanding the incessant coverage on this issue there, not one Afghan prisoner post is among the most read. It seems Macleans readers' response would be the same as Hillier's:

"I haven't followed it".
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On Retribution

2009-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Retribution – even violent retribution - has long been part of our way of life. The extent to which retribution is accepted, or at least understood, is very much dependent on the context of the antecedent offending actions. In our beloved sport of ice hockey, for instance, when a player takes a “cheap shot” against another, we condone or expect a swift violent reaction ranging from a counter slash of the stick to the immediate dropping of the gloves. In such instances thousands stand round cheering on the beating of the instigator (if he’s on “our team” that is).

Moving up the scale of retribution we see instances of violence done to others out of jealousy (a less accepted form) where one partner will cause harm to another caught in the act of cheating. We see that it is wrong but we are not surprised or shocked that it has happened. Then there are instances of vigilantism or emotional defense. I cannot imagine the prospect of my young child being molested or intentionally harmed by another, but I have no doubt that if I caught the perpetrator I would do severe violence to them. I imagine that society in general, while acknowleging the theoretical wrong of commiting violence to another, would sympathize with or at least understand my offending behavior.

War is an altogether different matter. History is replete with examples of one side exacting horrific revenge on the other side. The Russians retaking the Eastern front from the Nazis gave rise to thousands of instances of unspeakable acts of atrocity. Not much has been written about it, as history has appeared to recognize the scope of the antecedent instigation, noting that all is fair in love and war. In the Serbian conflict, under the watchful eye of UN observers, countless acts of barbarity ensued, much justified as revenge. We cannot condone savage revenge done to, say, a colonel in charge of rounding up villagers and having them shot because they had the misfortune of being Croatians in a Serbian region, but if that Colonel is later captured, hung upside down and stabbed a thousand times by the villagers (as happened to Mussolini), we understand.

Which brings us to the Taliban. A more barbaric group would be difficult to find. The savagery they inflicted on the populace while they were in control rivals anything mankind has done in a millenia. Women being stoned, gays hung, “impure” actions met with torture and death, an entire class of young women essentially banned from public life. Since being driven to the caves and mountains their barbarity has continued, with the routine targeting of innocents, including bombing groups of poor children seeking candy from UN soldiers.

It is in this context that we find our Canadian MSM reporting of allegations of mistreatment of Taliban prisoners.

Not by us, mind you. By those who’ve been suffering unimaginable acts of horror at the hands of the Taliban.

In a sane media complex, free of partisanship, and absent a base desire to oust a government they consider unworthy of leading due to its unacceptable political stripes, the real story behind the Taliban’s captors would be their incredible restraint.

Yet, in a society which cheers the violent pummelling of a defenceman for the grave infraction of a trip from behind, we suddenly find ourselves being asked by the left leaning media to ignore the context (which ignoring is aided by them not even pretending to report on the occasional Taliban barbarity as a semblence of “balance”) and rally as a country in outrage for the “mistreatment” of the Taliban.

Major New Study Published in Leading Scientific Journal "Nature" Slices and Dices AGW Theory

2009-12-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

From Andrew Bolt's blog (which is required reading if you're interested in this issue).
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Smoking Gun At Darwin Zero

2009-12-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

This post at WUWT, should be headline grabbing news in every major daily. Startling.

The raw temperature data "adjusted" to fit the preconceived theory.

Get it on the net, because the MSM surely won't tell you about it.
UPDATE: Kate has more.

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The Government-Media-Academic Complex in Lockstep

2009-12-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

George Will's scathing critique of AGW theory includes this gem:

"Actually, never in peacetime history has the government-media-academic complex been in such sustained propagandistic lockstep about any subject."

A free media is supposed to inform the citizenry. Yet instead of digging deeper, the media averts its eyes. Instead of asking hard questions about the revelations, the "mainstream" media makes excuses or belittles the evidence. Rather than looking at the potential implications, it summarily concludes this doesn't change anything about the science.

From the same Canadian media that attempted to find deeper sinister meaning to a pooping cartoon, a hand shake between a PM and his son, or...gulp...the type of vest warn by our Conservative PM. And from the same U.S. media that spent days leafing through dumpsters to literally find dirt on Sarah Palin, and who assigned dozens of "fact checkers" for her new book.

The reason the media has not delved deeper into Climategate is not because of the lack of newsworthiness in what they will find, but precisely because of the the depth of information they know is lying in the vast store of released information.

That, my friends, is propaganda, pure and simple.
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Comrade, Don't Worry Yourself With This Silly "Climategate" Talk

2009-12-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

The definition of propaganda in Wiki:

"Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda."

It's fascinating how much of the facts coming out of Climategate fit squarely within that definition. Not just the conduct of the scientists evidenced in the emails themselves, but the propaganda arm of the Climategate Politburo in the media and Google. Kate at SDA has been following the latter creepiness.

I suggest using Radio Free Europe as a search engine from now on.
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Copenhagen Prostitutes: Free Sex for UN Climate Delegates

2009-12-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Luxury travel on the taxpayer dime: $50,000
Conference based on faux science: tens of millions of dollars
Free prostitutes for the participants: priceless!
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Climategate: "The Smoking Code"

2009-12-05T04:32:00.000-08:00

Robert Greiner is a scientist and engineer and has gone through the released code to find that it has been rigged to provide a hockey stick shaped graph, regardless of the data input.

AGW theory is literally coming apart at the seams right before our very eyes.
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Media Blackout on Contra AGW Evidence Did Not Begin Two Weeks Ago

2009-12-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a mainstream media report on a Conservative proposal that did not include an "expert" or opinion leader brought in to take the idea down a peg? Whether it be a "leading economist" to challenge the numbers, or a "prominent doctor" to question the efficacy. It is virtually automatic. Defenders of the media would argue that such is just good reporting. Questioning assertions is part of the job. Yes it is. Yes it is indeed.

Yet in the world of AGW, it simply doesn't happen. Being the quintessential leftist cause of the day, no matter how big the name, no matter what the credentials, statements of prominent scientists questioning AGW have been simply blacked-out from coverage.

If you go to the U.S. minority Senate report, you will see an incredible number of world leading scientists, openly questioning the science behind AGW. The quotes are startling, as are the names, who include IPCC scientists. Most amazing is the fact that this list is not new. It's been building for years now. Here are just of few:

“I am a skeptic…Global warming has become a new religion.” - Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever.

“Since I am no longer affiliated with any organization nor receiving any funding, I can speak quite frankly….As a scientist I remain skeptical...The main basis of the claim that man’s release of greenhouse gases is the cause of the warming is based almost entirely upon climate models. We all know the frailty of models concerning the air-surface system.” - Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson, the first woman in the world to receive a PhD in meteorology, and formerly of NASA, who has authored more than 190 studies and has been called “among the most preeminent scientists of the last 100 years.”

Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history…When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” - UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.

“The IPCC has actually become a closed circuit; it doesn’t listen to others. It doesn’t have open minds… I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists.” - Indian geologist Dr. Arun D. Ahluwalia at Punjab University and a board member of the UN-supported International Year of the Planet.

“So far, real measurements give no ground for concern about a catastrophic future warming.” - Scientist Dr. Jarl R. Ahlbeck, a chemical engineer at Abo Akademi University in Finland, author of 200 scientific publications and former Greenpeace member.

There are hundreds more. Hundreds.

Each one could have garnered headlines. None did. Not individually, not collectively. Think of this repressed list the next time you read the words "scientists agree" in the next press offering on AGW.
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AGW "Scientist" or Hard Left Political Activist

2009-12-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Tomato, Tomaaato.

James Hanson hearkens back to the days of the Vietnam protests and calls for similar "civil resistance." That's "the kind of activism we need" says the good Doctor.

Dying declarations are considered in law to be inherently reliable. On death's doorstep, the need for dishonesty disappears and our true thoughts flow freely. Watch more of the AGW mask slip as the climategate noose tightens.
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Warmists Have Taken Science Back 100 Years

2009-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Professor of meteorology at MIT explains how AGW theorists have taken science back a hundreds years with their politicized simplification of the climate - the simplification being that everything comes down to a single factor - CO2. A nice, tidy omnipresent gas which makes for good central economic control. From Ace.
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Data Destined to Save All of Humanity Thrown Away...To "Save Space"

2009-11-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

Let's try and put the destruction of the AGW raw data in some perspective.

Joe's Hardware store, Ma and Pa Kettle and the rest of us are required to keep records for tax audit purposes, Sara Palin had to keep her daily receipts, lest the international media pack successfully accused her of improperly reporting her lunches, heck I have to keep my dog's vaccination records or I can't cross the border with them.

Yet the data set which forms the foundation of a theory which seeks to reorder the world economy, affects the transfer of trillions of dollars, the purported purpose of which is to save all of humanity (at one of the most well funded international institutions on the planet) decides to throw it away to....save space?

Uh, huh.

In other news, the Vatican was reported to have thrown away the remains of the Holy Grail, to make room for a new copy machine.
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New Scientific Model: Trust Us, We're With the U.N.

2009-11-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

From Kate at SDA linking to the TimesOnline:

"SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.
It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.
The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation.
The data were gathered from weather stations around the world and then adjusted to take account of variables in the way they were collected. The revised figures were kept, but the originals — stored on paper and magnetic tape — were dumped to save space when the CRU moved to a new building."

AGW Theory...Basic Science Free

2009-11-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

While we witness the meltdown at East Anglia and elsewhere, let's not lose site of the big picture. The computer models predicted ten or so years ago that the Earth would be in a relative inferno by now. Instead, to the frustration of the modellers, worldwide temperatures have not risen. Yet we are told the theory and models are still valid. It appears AGW theory goes something like this:

I predict the model will show X. If it does show X, my theory is correct.

If it doesn't show X, my theory is still correct.

If it shows the opposite of X, my theory is still correct, and you're a heretic for being skeptical of it.
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One-Stop Chart to Kill Any "Arctic Ice is Melting" Conversation

2009-11-28T03:12:00.000-08:00

Updated daily, this chart is rather stunning. In short, there appears to be no pattern of sea ice melting...other than seasonal.

Yeah, those pictures of melting ice the media loves to show you? That's what we in the colder countries call SPRING.
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IPCC Fosters "Authoritarian and Exclusive Form of Knowlege Production"

2009-11-28T02:35:00.000-08:00

Stated by some right wing AGW "denialist"? Actually, that was Mike Hume, professor at the epicenter of it all - University of East Anglia. He goes onto admit that the IPCC is pretty much finished, "run it's course" to use his more delicate words.

A stunning revelation that is now being widely reported by the mainstream press around the world....just having a bit of fun with you, the media is still in lock down mode on this, it's covered by Andrew Bolt's blog for Austrailia's Herald Sun (one of the best sources for climategate info).

Check out the link, there's lots of other new revelations there.
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CBC: We'll Report on ClimateGate...Reluctantly, At the Bottom of the Web Page and Leaving Out Most Damning Facts

2009-11-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

Agenda journalism at its finest.
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MSM Covering Climategate...Unintentionally in the Comment Boards

2009-11-26T03:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine a restaurant, where almost all of the customers sit down order a drink, and instead of buying a meal off of the menu, take out a meal they've brought in from the outside.

Imagine further that the customers are uniformly bringing the same meal, and that they're overtly telling the restaurant owner they would like that meal added to the menu. But the owner ignores the customers.

It sounds surreal doesn't it. But that's precisely the type of bizarre relationship the media is having with its readers on the climategate issue.

Take a look at this CBC story, carrying on about AGW, then look at what the readers in the comments are bringing to the table (hit a some of the older pages to get a real flavor).

Detached would be an understatement. Completely oblivious sounds a little closer to the mark.

Purely Coincidental I'm Sure

2009-11-21T09:58:00.001-08:00

In the world of blogging, the Hadley affair has gone viral on the conservative side. Stunning revelations abound. On the other hand, old media is in lock down mode over the story. Now head on over to Liblogs and see that there's nary a peep. In fact, all of the issues covered there, appear to mirror what you see in any of the old media news aggregators.

Both liberal bloggers and old media's views on what should be exposed appear to be perfectly aligned. Funny that.
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If You Can Only Read One Post in the Next Week, Let This Link be It

2009-11-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

The boys at Powerline have outdone themselves by analysing and putting into context one of the most damning revelations out of the Hadley release. Read the whole thing, and then try to imagine that AGW is not a complete scam. I suspect you will have some difficulty.

It's titled "The Alarmists Do "Science": a Case Study".
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The Customer is Always Right...Except in the Media Business

2009-11-21T08:18:00.001-08:00

There's a saying in business that the customer is always right. A restaurant telling its customers that the food really does taste good, in response to complaints about poor quality won't be in business for long. All viable businesses follow this basic principle.

Emphasis on the word "viable".

Yesterday a blog story went "viral" - the Hadley data leak. Small Dead Animals is one of the best places to follow it, but the story is pretty much everywhere. Except in old media.

That hundreds of blogs and their millions of readers are flocking to this story is proof of the interest in it (never mind that it goes to the heart of a theory that seeks to redefine our worldwide economic relations - something of fundamental importance to all Western citizens).

It seems the media is trying to tell us this foul dish really does taste good.
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The Fall of Old Media Continues Unabated

2009-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

While Americans must get real fact checking on the costs of Obamacare from the CATO Institute (and "reported" by blogs), the AP assigns 11 (eleven) reporters to fact check Palin's new book.

Among the important discrepancies discovered was the claim that Palin did not frequent expensive hotels while governor, DEBUNKED!!! by the uncovered facts that she stayed in expensive hotels a grand total of four nights. Mark Steyn's hilarious take on this here.

As for fact checking the cost of a program imposed by the state that will radically alter its relationship with its citizenry and change the makeup of the entire economy? Old media has far more important things to cover....and far more important people to cover up for.
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Putting on a Pretty Dress for Our Fallen Soldiers

2009-11-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Our four year old daughter woke us up this morning asking if we were thinking about the soldiers who have died. She then said she was going to put on a pretty dress while she thought about them.

No Easy Answers for the Liberals

2009-11-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

I`ve written before about the quandary facing the Liberals, one that existed well before their current drop in the polls, masked by a fractured right under Chretien. While the Liberals were busy occupying the mushy middle, the ideological ground on the right was unified by the current CPC while the NDP has solidified its hold on the left.

Now the Liberals have nowhere to go - not without consequences that is. Move to the right and they cede ground to the NDP. Move to the left and they lose their Red Torys. This quandary is now fully evident with Iggy`s absence of any concrete agenda. Trapped, the Liberals are forced to chase headlines and jump from one faux scandal to the next.

Some time ago, I predicted that the end result could be the rise of the NDP as the true alternative to the CPC. While the gains by both the NDP and the CPC in these by-elections are by no means conclusive, they seem to have caused the punditocracy to start to take note of this dynamic.

One thing is certain, there are no easy answers for the Liberals.

If the Dems Pass Their Health Care Bill

2009-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

It will be political suicide for the Dems if they vote in the health care bill. In part because it is generally unpopular with the American people - according to every poll on the issue. More importantly, they will be doing it even though that they know the people do not want it.

Worse, the people know, that they know that the people do not want it but will pass it anyway. This utter contempt for voters in the land of the free and the home of the brave will surely lead to a political rout in 2010.

The Most Important Unreported Story of the Year

2009-11-01T15:14:00.001-08:00

The fact that Adscam funds may be traced to find out which Liberals got their paws on the ill gotten booty may be the most important political story of the year. A few thoughts:

The cries of "old news" from Liberals will be cast against the backdrop of their recently flogging the Mulroney horse - which pales in comparison in terms of it being much older news, involving a tiny fraction of dollars, and most importantly, private funds not stolen taxpayer money.

Until the funds are returned the issue remains current. There could very well be liberals in power today who continue to benefit from this crime. The suggestion from Liberals to "just let it go" is tantamount to their saying "just let us keep the stolen money" - a position that will not sit well with the public.

Reviving this issue could well be politically devastating to a party that is desperate to gain traction in the polls. It reminds voters not only of how bad things really got under the Liberals, but serves as a stark comparison to the faux scandals the Liberals have been chasing over the last several years.

Liberals will have to tread very carefully. They've told us the notion of putting a logo on ceremonial checks is of national importance. Surely returning tens of millions of stolen funds back to hard working Canadians is something worth exploring.
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This Bold Fresh Brilliant New Idea Must Be From the Ivy League

2009-10-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Iggy brainstorms and comes up with....national child care.

In other news, Iggy proposes a fresh new music craze called ... disco.
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If You're Going to Scandal Chase, Do It Right

2009-10-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

It seems that the liberals have decided to put their big thinking ideas aside and once again delve into scandal chasing - a prescription to power they seem to think will replace the long tough slogging of party revitalization. The latest is "giant ceremonial cheque-gate".

In order to help out my friends on the left, I have some helpful tips on separating a real scandal from faux scandals:

1) Numbers are important. If the amounts are in the tens of millions, like say the Sponsorship scandal, you're onto something, particularly if the sums are directly stolen from taxpayers and given to the political party.

2) Try to avoid creating a scandal out of things your own party routinely does. For instance, Emerson's floor crossing was portrayed as evil incarnate, while Stronach's and Brison's were "just politics". It doesn't just detract from your efforts, it causes a public opinion boomerang.

3) If possible, avoid looking like you're capitalizing on the deaths of others for political gain. Black humour in the course of a food poisoning outbreak, may or may not be in bad taste, but rushing in with feigned outrage at a single line uttered in a back room meeting seems a tad ghoulish.

4) If you have to say something is a scandal, it's likely not a scandal.

5) Pooping cartoons, whoever they happen to be pooping on, never rise to the level of national importance.

6) It may be tempting to go after a politician's attempt to look personable through the use of such evil devices as the sweater vest, but I'm told by fashion people that use of garb to portray an image is done by.....well....everyone on the planet, every day of their lives.

Those are just a few, feel free to add in the comments.
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Iggy: Forget About That Whole "Taking Down the Government" Thing

2009-10-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Forget about Harper getting a "fail". Forget about Canada being able to "do better". Forget about that little chat in the woods. As for "If you mess with me, I will mess with you until I’m done"? Hey, what's wrong with a bit of messing.

With the CPC now into majority territory, Iggy changes his tune...again. Take a look at this awkward backtracking:

"What I said was we lost confidence in the government. I didn’t say we’re going to move more motions of non confidence."

Riiiiight.
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Iranian Dissidents Should Have Given More Flowery Speeches Read off a Teleprompter

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

The travesty of Obama's Nobel peace price award is best appreciated when compared to any number of other more deserving candidates.

Nominations closed two weeks into his presidency. Apparently airing flowery platitudes about "hoping" for a world without war, trumps actual actions for the cause...such as...oh I dunno....risking one's life, or having one's family captured, tortured and murdered.

Then again, anyone can have the courage to sacrifice everything for the cause of peace. Reading a professionally written speech about peace off of a teleprompter - now THAT'S praiseworthy.
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Shelf Life of Iggy's Public Statements Down to A Few Hours

2009-10-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Looks like that "adult conversation" about making tough choices, including tax increases, isn't going over so well. And anyway, that's an old idea. At least six hours old. Time to move on.

Apparently he's now in favour of easy answers and happiness for all. Said one anonymous Liberal source:

"forget about all that nasty tax increase talk, our new plan calls for unicorns and a hefty portion of fairy dust."
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Nail in Coffin: Iggy Talks Tax Hikes

2009-10-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Part of Iggy's new "adult conversation" with Canadians is a proposal to hike taxes.

Firstly, this is political suicide. Just as he's dropping in the polls he wants to tax us more?

Politics aside, a more apt description would be an "adolescent" quick fix. Just as our fragile economy is starting to regain its footing, we're going to create a disincentive to consumers and/or producers (depending on the form of tax hike)?

One has to wonder at this point whether Iggy is intentionally hastening his return to his comfortable American Ivy League tower.
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Liking Our PM

2009-10-04T08:49:00.001-07:00

The left loves to portray Harper as a cold, robotic man (or in the case of Dion, quasi-sociopathic in lacking a "social conscience"). Of course this meme, which the media has largely been happy to parrot, is a political concoction. One merely has to take the seeds of a publicly modest man, sprinkle some partisan spin and a self-fulfilling focus on only that trait, and presto, you get a "cold" man.

The reason this spin has been largely unsuccessful is not that the public hasn't fallen for it. It's because Canadians don't have to like their PM as much as they have to respect and trust him.

What has the left's collective heads exploding today is the possibility of the public not only trusting Harper, but liking him as well. The reason why Harper's performance is resonating with so many is because of the depths to which it shatters the meme of a mean, cold, robotic man.

Harper didn't learn to play music last week. He wasn't taught to play music by his chief of staff as some political ploy. His passion for music (and good humour) was obvious for all the world to see. And accompanying stories that he learned to play as a child on cardboard keys because his family couldn't afford a piano are humanizing and endearing. More importantly, the stories are real.

Liking our PM. Now there's a thought.
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Iggy's "Predicament"

2009-09-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

Macleans blog links to an article by Rachel Cooke, in which she empathizes with Iggy's "predicament" in his no longer being able to say whatever he wants. Politically, his predicament is this:

Iggy has spent his whole life speaking on behalf of Iggy and no one else. Wholly uninterested in having to speak the language from other peoples' perspectives, concerns, views, and having never served in a meaningful representative capacity until recently, he now must now try to speak on behalf of all Canadians.

It's been difficult. It seems that Iggy's solution is to keep to a favourite subject: himself.

And so we have yet another discussion with Iggy, about Iggy.
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Iggy's Answer is Blowing in the Wind

2009-09-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

You say Iggy is taking a stand on Cauchont not running Outremont? Get with it. Like, that was soooo eighteen hours ago.
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The Unbearable Lightness of Media Credibility

2009-09-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

The tea party protests involved (and continues to involve) hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans concerned about the rise of government's role in their lives. The media has followed the lead of the Dems' attempt to portray these folks as radicals.

The media commentariate's claim was as follows: oh sure, the crowds were peaceful....for now, but such opposition may be sowing the seeds of future violence, albeit indirectly. As such we must question the legitimacy of this dissent. We need to dig deep and dig hard, in wall to wall coverage, searching for any signs of the potential for violence.

Meanwhile, leftists at the G20 summit (an event which inherently attracts international exposure), engage in physical attacks en masse against the authorities - actual politically motivated violence against the state,

and the media averts their eyes.
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The Left Sneering At the "Tims" Crowd

2009-09-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Harper is going back to conservative roots which I suggested be done last week - lowering taxes, focusing on long term growth - while at the same time re-staking out his populist "Tim Horton's" position.

It was as if he were daring the liberal elite to sneer down their noses at the common folk, thereby ensconcing him in his chosen position.

As if on cue, the liberal elite, obliges nicely. Leading the way is Susan Delacourt's mocking of Harper's "donut" announcement which she asserted was now "fodder"....

"for research about how politicians see us now as shoppers/eaters now instead of educated citizens. Thanks, PM."

How "uneducated" of Harper to concentrate on a Canadian business success story in the midst of a worldwide recession instead of being "educated" by the likes of the leaders of Iran, Sudan, Cuba and Libya.
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A Moment of Canadian Pride

2009-09-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by the Harper Government.

Icing on the cake was Greta on Fox interviewing our foreign minister regaling Canada for being the first to leave the U.N. assembly and wondering why the U.S. waited so long to walk out - not following Canada's lead.

That's what we in the industry call "strong leadership". In Canada.

And around the world.

UPDATE: Video here, ht Revanche
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You're Not in Kansas Any More Dorothy

2009-09-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Iggy's taken personal offence. He's worried he's being portrayed as "stupid".

A neutral observer, or even a partisan one lacking extreme narcissistic tendencies, would likely conclude the Conservatives (like all political entities since time immemorial) are attempting to exploit an opponents recent political miscalculation in order to advance their party's interests.

Not Iggy. Iggy thinks its really all about him - a personal attack on his intellect.

Someone in the Liberal party should advise the professor that he's left the the world of having wide-eyed college juniors dazzled by that insulated academic "brilliance" and has entered the bloodsport of politics.

You're not in Kansas any more Dorothy.
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Time to Focus on Growth not Unemployment Benefits

2009-09-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

While Canada's biggest debate right now is about how much more we should be giving the unemployed and in what manner, over in Sweden they're taking a different approach, which also happens to be the correct one: they're lowering taxes in order to create jobs. They have learned that a high cost bureaucracy and high taxes leads to lower employment.

The more the Canadian debate is focused on the back end of the problem, the less political capital there is to expend on the front end - creating conditions where employers feel comfortable hiring more people. The back end - benefits, entitlements, redistribution - is the realm of the left.

It's time to turn the channel and focus on some core conservative principles. Principles that will lead to long term growth. It's time to cut taxes.
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Iggy, Like Dion But With Less Influence

2009-09-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

So notwithstanding Iggy's vow to take down the government, we appear to be avoiding an election yet again. Iggy's recent appearance of bona fides in wanting to take down the CPC may be worse than the waffling and faux blustering of late. It serves as a stark reminder that he leads a party that's in a distant second to the CPC, unable to affect an outcome absent both of the other oppo parties' consent, and apparently unable to secure that consent when required.

He's just along for the ride. How unbecoming a man of such greatness.
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Follow the Internals

2009-09-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Harper should follow his heart, and his internals polls, but mostly the internals.

Internal polling is expensive but far more accurate than the public press versions. If they show majority territory, he should pull the pin. If not, he should play nice.

It's that simple.
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NY Times: We're Not Biased, We...Um...Just Didn't Have the Staff

2009-09-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

The NY Post absolutely eviscerates the NY Times failure to report the Van Jones affair.

As we watch the NY Times shares turn to junk bond status, among many other major dailies, and as we likewise watch CNN's ratings plummet, we are told by those in the industry that answer lies in structural economics. It couldn't actually be, well, the content. (No word on the reason for the astronomical rise of Fox News in the ratings.)

The answer to the demise of much of legacy media lies in that NY Post story. It's not so much the fact that the Times refused to cover the story, as was its right as a private organization, but the completely dishonest explanation that they were just "short staffed." The Post took great delight in drawing out the Times bogus explanation by pointing to some of the trivial stories the Times miraculously had resources for - beyond shooting fish in a barrel, it was a literary curb stomping.

The Times, like many others, have long since left the news business: reporting just the facts, "all the news that's fit to print", and have entered the advocacy business. The problem is they still portray themselves as impartial purveyors of fact. It could be that they do so because their worldview has rendered them simply incapable of self censure. A more insidious reason is that they're using the guise of impartiality to appear more authoritative as they advocate in favour of the "correct" world view.

Whether the bias is latent or blatant, expect more logical gymnastic contortions as the Times and others continue to attempt to deny the obvious.
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Iggy: My Solomn Declarations and Public Statements are to be Ignored...Except the One's I'm Making Right Now

2009-09-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

Iggy today:

"In January, we did not support a coalition, and we do not support a coalition today or tomorrow,"

In other words, "ignore my signature on the coalition agreement." A signature being different than a mere statement or utterance mind you. It is a solemn act of agreeing to be bound to what you are signing and has been the principal means by which mankind has bound the author for centuries. Perhaps Iggy's signature was taken out of context, or given under duress or coercion?

To the contrary, here are Iggy's public statements at the time:

“I’m prepared to form a coalition government, and to lead that government and to provide Canada with the security and stability it needs.” (Ottawa Citizen, December 11, 2008)

“I told the caucus this morning very clearly I am prepared to vote non-confidence in this government and I am prepared to enter into a coalition with our partners if that is what the Governor General asks me to do,” Ignatieff said (Canadian Press, December 10, 2008)

(Footnote: The link is from the CBC, which simply parrots Iggy's recent statement without mentioning these pesky little contextual statements.)

Update: Video from ST
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Liberals: Believe Us, Just Because - Elect Us, Just Because

2009-09-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

So to recap:

- Pre last election, the possibility of the Liberals forming a coalition with the Bloc was raised and the Liberals dismissed it outright.

- A few months following the election, the Liberals inked a deal with the Bloc in an effort to take control of the government without an election. It didn't work as Harper shut down parliament.

- An election is again on the horizon and the Liberals are again promising not to form a coalition with the Bloc.

Brazen? Absolutely. Surprising? Given that Iggy's election call appears to be premised on the fact that Canadians will agree to hand the reigns of government over to Iggy for no other reason than Iggy's self-proclaimed superior ability to run the country, no. It's not surprising at all.
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Iggy's Visceral Vote

2009-09-10T02:55:00.000-07:00

There are two general ways of losing an election. The first is when voters disagree with the loser. The second is when voters seek to punish the loser.

Take Dion's recent loss for instance. His was a loss based on policy. His major plank - the green shift - although exciting to the fringe left, was not something that most Canadians saw as being central to our national affairs. Further, many disagreed with Dion's perceived style of leadership or lack thereof. But the last election was not about repudiating or punishing one or the other party.

Kim Cambell's loss, on the other hand, was a repudiation of the PC, not only by the left, but also by conservatives. Voters were in a punishing mood and the results were devastating. Punishment is visceral. It induces one directional concrete action against the offender. It is also easy to appreciate after-the-fact, but often difficult to discern before hand. I'll try to find a link to the actual polling, but I recall that Campbell's polling weeks out from the election was not even close to the actual result. They weren't great, but they weren't catastrophic either.

What about this election (assuming Iggy follows through)? Most polling and commentary point to a probable loss for Iggy. But what kind of loss will it be?

That this appears to be one of the few elections in our history where there are no major issues on the table, nearly ensures that the loss will be one of punishment and not disagreement.

Here is the paradox Iggy has created: It can't be one of disagreement if there's nothing to disagree about, and if there's nothing to disagree about why force an election? Voters won't simply be angry that they have to go to the polls so soon after the last election. They'll be angry that they're forced to do so for no discernible reason.

Iggy may be setting up the perfect visceral voting storm.
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Iggy's First Specific Policy Position: Keeping Harper's Policy

2009-09-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Harper with the chess moves. Iggy vow's to take down Harper at the first opportunity so Harper's first confidence vote will on the ultra-popular home reno tax credit.

The result? Iggy, who has been criticized for not offering specifics on what he'd do differently, is forced to make his first specific campaign promise - keeping Harper's program.
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Why the Liberals Will Lose Badly

2009-09-02T07:22:00.001-07:00

Absent a major scandal, the party in waiting must explain why they should be in power, not simply criticize the sitting government. The burden is always greater, the closer you are to the previous election.

Given that the last election was just a year ago and the fact that Canada is faring far better than other countries in this worldwide recession, particularly as compared to our neighbors to the South, Iggy has a seemingly impossible task.

In this context Canadians will have little patience for Iggy's grand reason to force an elction: "Because I want to be in power".
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Media Advice to Iggy: "Stress Family Links to Canada"

2009-08-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

L. Ian Macdonald is the latest member of the left leaning legacy media hand wringing over the "chosen one's" failure to take Canadians by storm. He offers this gem of advice:

"He needs to do more of what he was doing Friday in Lennoxville, connecting with voters by stressing his family's links to Canada."

So to recap:

Media to it's readers: "How dare Harper bring up Iggy being out of the country for most of his adult life. That's totally irrelevant, out-of-bounds and just downright mean!"

Media's advice to Iggy: "Psst...Iggy...start stressing you're links to Canada - being out of the Country for decades before coming here for the sole purpose of leading us, may appear a tad out of touch, distant and elitist."

Biff's advice to the left leaning media: If your chosen one can't even move past the most basic requirement for the top job - being "Canadian" - everything else is simply moot.

It's like trying to sell someone a horse as a racing thouroughbred, and the sales pitch gets bogged down on whether it's a horse or a mule.

Horse or mule, it's not getting out of the starting gate.

NDP Making It's Move, Liberal Supporters Dazed, Confused...But Mostly Confused

2009-08-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

As I discussed more fully here, with a unified right and stable party on the left, the Liberals are in an ideological void. With the NDP's new rebranding effort, I surmised it was part of a natural move to try and become the party of the left.

Now we're hearing word of the NDP preparing attack ads against Iggy. This should come as no surprise to folks who have been paying attention. Nevertheless, Liberal supporters seemed shocked at the move.

To my Liberal friends: buckle in and hold tight, because the NDP is making its move.
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Obama Compares Healthplan to Postal Service (As Compared to the Superior Private Carriers)

2009-08-11T19:07:00.001-07:00

Note to Obama. When desperately trying to stop your massive government takeover plan from sinking like a rock in public opinion, try to avoid comparing it to the quintessential American example of government inefficiency and unreliability. And especially avoid noting how unreliable it is compared to it's privately run counterparts.
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Obama: Digs Real Deep

2009-08-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

"I have not said I was a single payer supporter"

That's what Obama said at his "townhall" today. He's also repeated that a number of other times recently. Why does he say it? Because folks are accusing him of favoring a single payer health system. There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, some argue that his plan, in substance, will lead to just that. The other more important reason is because he's said previously he's a supporter of it.

Not only has he said he supports a single payer system, he said it on tape, which in now spreading wildly around the net.

What's particularly disturbing about his statement today is that he doesn't just say "I don't" support such a system, leaving himself some room to argue that he has changed his mind. He denies ever saying it. Declaratory. End of story. Untrue yes, but nothing to even debate here, so says he.

Gee, one would have to have a pretty safe feeling about having a complicit media in the bag, unwilling to push the issue, to try to get away with that one.

NDP Rebranding, Liberals be Afraid, be Very Afraid

2009-08-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

The NDP is considering a name change. Normally name changes are part of a broader rebranding effort. It's the current political context that's making this move particularly important.

As discussed here before, with a consolidated right, and a longstanding party to its left, the Liberals are in a bit of a pinch. It's been awhile since we've actually heard a coherent comprehensive policy come out of the Liberal camp (the green shift was a one issue wonder, not even close to a full platform required from a national party) principally because the Liberals have nowhere to go without risking some of its base. Scare mongering about conservatives taking away Canada as we know it, combined with the position that they were simply the rightful power holders, the natural governing party, was the "policy" before the green shift. In other words, no policy at all.

Iggy has continued on with the policy avoidance, content instead to follow the headlines and hurl critiques from the sidelines. What we are left with is one party on the right, one party on the left, and one party blowing in the wind. The party on the left has room to grow, but capturing the moniker of being THE party of the left will require some serious effort and some serious politicking. The starting point is shedding its old image and rebranding.

It has begun. Liberals should be afraid. They should be very afraid.

Canadian Press: Discussing CPC Leadership like "Sex Talk With Teenage Kids"

2009-08-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

MSM, off the rails once again.

One part reflexive anti conservative worldview, four parts severe creepiness, and

presto,

you've got yourself another example of why the legacy media is breathing its last gasps.
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Some Context to the Cool Temps

2009-08-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Now that BC's "heat wave" is over, a look at the national temperature scene reveals that there doesn't appear to be any areas in Canada experiencing summer heat. All cool.

Where's the global warming? AGW proponents will surely point out that AGW involves worldwide temperatures and trends, and that localized low temperatures, even on a national scale mean very little. (Let's leave aside that worldwide temps have dropped since 1998 on a global scale for the moment).

Is the absence of warming in Canada meaningless? First of all, it's important to note the dire predictions of dramatically increasing temperatures weren't made last year, or even the year before that. They were made back in the late nineties. We were told that unless dramatic steps are taken (and none have been taken) that in fifty years we'd be in a sweltering wasteland of heat filled despair. Note also we were told that it had already started heating. In other words the trajectory was already in place, it wasn't starting 10 or 20 years hence.

Given that, shouldn't we at least be experiencing SOME NOTICEABLE increase in temperature a full ten years later? As Canadians we weren't to be expecting record lows across the country and spanning season upon season.

I also have a quick question for my global warming friends. If you think the Earth is warming, but that it's just not warming in much of North America, then where exactly are the areas experiencing this super heating - over and above the already predicted heating that must be offsetting the cold over in our neck of the woods. Is Europe now an oven? Central Asia? Anywhere?
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Iggy's Signature Proposal: "Disasterous to the Economy"

2009-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ouch. That's gonna leave a welt.
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Understatement of the Month Cont'd

2009-08-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

Below I attempted to put in context the media's decision to run with "wafergate". Objectively speaking, whether or not Harper ate a communion wafer would not seem to have a dramatic impact on every-day Canadians and the broader general public, like say, a steep rise in gas prices would.

I can't see it being too important to the single mom who has to pick up her kids from school, feed them, then go back for her second shift. Nor would the newlywed couple, who has concern about the price of new houses or the cost of raising their new baby, be particularly interested in this unique event, certainly not as a "top story". I suspect the aging couple, faced with the decision of whether they must go into a nursing home, wouldn't have Harper eating a wafer in their top 100 list of important things to know about. In fact it's difficult to imagine any group or demographic finding this story meaningful to them.

Any group except one.

Libbloggers seemed to enjoy the event very much. Left leaning posters and commenters - the relatively small group of Canadians who, for purely politically partisan reasons have an interest in base attacks against the Prime Minister - went on and on about it. Indeed the story may have originated with a highly partisan Liberal blogger.

On its face it was a partisan hit piece, the only purpose being to smear one's political opponent. The only ones who'd find this of any real value were Harper's political opponents:

both those who overtly proclaim their allegiance to left and their opposition to Harper, such as Liberal party members and libbloggers, and those in the media who still hide behind the veneer of impartiality.
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Understatement of the Month

2009-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

"Wafergate does not reflect well on media."

Canadians face a myriad of daily concerns: our children's education, our elderly parents' care, the state of our health, maintaining our marriages, jobs and homes. On top of it all we are currently in the midst of a worldwide economic downturn.

On any given day there is literally an infinite number of things going on in the world that impact these concerns in varying degrees.

Yet what did the gatekeepers of information determine to be one of the most important and pressing events for all Canadians, worthy of capturing the headlines and lead-ins across the country?

Whether or not Harper ate a communion wafer.
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Iggy Set to Attack Harper on (insert headline of the day here)

2009-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like this week it's swine flu preparedness.

Formulating and defending a comprehensive policy on how to better run the country than the folks in charge: hard

Pointing fingers from the sidelines about the latest issue to grab the headlines: as easy as pie
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A Huge Scandal...If Conservatives Did It

2009-07-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Imagine if in the last election Bush won ("stole" so says the far left) members of a skinhead group wearing paramilitaristic uniforms and wielding clubs, were caught intimidating voters at a polling station in order to ensure they made the "right" vote.

Imagine further that career prosecutors advanced the case, and after the case was essentially won, a high level Bush DOJ political appointee intervened and overruled the career prosecutors, dropping the case against the skinhead thugs.

I suspect it would be a scandal of epic proportions in which every daily, every network, and every major political commentator in the media would cite the far reaching ramifications of the politicization of prosecutions and how this base corruption goes to the core of our democracy, akin to actions of tin pot banana republics.

But this is happened in the Obama Administration, regarding the Black Panthers. So you'll see it in the Washington Times, some conservative blogs, and then you'll see it no more.

BC's Heat Wave: Mother Nature's Rope-a-Dope

2009-07-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Perusing the blogs tonight, I noticed a comment or two in some threads, noting the BC heat wave as counter-anecdotal evidence of the cold summer experienced elsewhere.

Last I recalled, it is supposed to get hot in the summer, and very hot, here and there for a spell, but that's not really the point I'm trying to make. We used to hear a lot of anecdotal "proof" that it was getting warmer: glaciers crashing into the ocean, heat waves etc. We don't hear a lot of that anymore, mostly because the anecdotal evidence is following the statistical evidence. The Earth has been cooling for the last ten years, and particularly dramatically over the last year and a half, and many of us are feeling it in the cool summers, and brutally cold winters.

So by all means, let's talk about the weather we're experiencing right now. In my neck of the woods we have consistently had colder than normal temperatures for months and months. Not a "wave" mind you, but one steady low.

Liberals on the Ropes

2009-07-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is why many on the left were so defeated at Iggy's willingness to ignore his own line in the sand:

retail sales in Canada sharply rise.

Taking down the CPC this past spring was probably a bit of a long shot, but if you can't take down a sitting PM in the middle of one of the worst economic downturn's in a generation, with a leader who was so purportedly right for the new job he was anointed without a party vote, and with a hostile press willing to jump on any government issue and declare it a "scandal!!!", then when?

And if your party is refraining from trying to take power at the obviously best time, you know its gotta have some deep institutionally based problems.
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Say it Ain't So: The EI Crisis Wasn't Real?

2009-07-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Paul Wells notices there's not a lot of desire to actually push EI reform. Mr. Wells points the finger at both parties, but the fact of the matter this was a "crisis" created entirely by Iggy. My comment at his site:

It was always nothing but a pretext to do some chest thumping by Iggy-show the country he's not some wimp like Dion was perceived to be. Harper called his bluff which created a twofer for the CPC: in the immediate term it forced Iggy to back down, thus doing the precise opposite the faux machismo was supposed to accomplish.

But it also forced Iggy to "put up" something tangible down the road. Iggy's tried to stay as far away from concrete positions as possible, content instead to hurl criticism from the sidelines. Without a firm policy (on anything) he's not willing to take a stand, even on the only trigger issue he's identified since taking on the opp leadership.

Well we're now down that road, and his original bluster is looking even worse than when he first backed down. Perhaps tackling real life issues in a political meat grinder in an atmosphere of intense political animosity, is a tad more difficult than wowing wide eyed recent high school grads on the latest abstract theory du jour in a completely controlled academic cocoon.
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Iggy: "They" (We) Have "Disgusting" and "Entirely Bogus" Views, "Bitch" Instead of Paying our Fair Share

2009-07-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Iggy on Canadians and peacekeeping.

It's a good thing Iggy's been telling us how much he loves to be a Canadian now that he wants to be PM. Otherwise one might get the impression he thinks we're just a bunch of lowly "bitch"[ing], freeloading Canadians with "disgusting" views of ourselves on matters going to the heart of our self-identity.

His carefully scripted campaign style speeches show the true Iggy, I'm sure.
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Darn, More Carbon Isn't Working

2009-07-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

The boys at Powerline post about their year "without summer". In the Canadian prairies we're experiencing the same thing. Mostly cool or even cold days. Not a single hot period. At the same time more revelations about how very unsettled this whole global warming debate is.

Ace of Spades commenter puts just the right snark in for good measure:

"If only there were some... natural mechanism by which to explain variations in global temperature. It would have to be massive, though. On the scale of our own Sun."
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The Audacity of Hope Indeed

2009-07-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

The excitement surrounding Obama's soaring rhetoric seems so far away. The spread between those who approve of his presidency and those who disapprove was a whopping 45% when he was first elected. In a few short months it has steadily dropped to below 18%.

The reason can be summed up in this crushing video put out by the GOP. Not only has Obama failed to transcend "politics as usual" as he continually promised on the campaign trail, as the video shows, he has turned out to be far more cynical, opportunistic, and yes, disingenuous than the "usual" politician. That we are now supposed to believe the stimulus wasn't really meant to stimulate in the near term is Orwellian in scope and gives a new perspective to the "audacity" of Obama's hope.
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Biff's Back

2009-07-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

The perfect storm of factors kept me from blogging for a few weeks. I won't bore you with the personal details but suffice it to say you'll be hearing more from me in the next days and weeks.

Revolutionary Guard Siding With the People?

2009-06-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Some evidence is coming in showing elements of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran standing down, or even vowing to defend the protesters.

Here.

If this is true, then Iran may have gone from mass protests to full blown revolution.
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Video of Iranian Thugs Opening Fire on Crowd, and Crowd Not Backing Down

2009-06-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here. Apparently from earlier today.
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Obama: Not Concerned About Right and Wrong, but About "Tenor and Tone"

2009-06-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

When you live in a world where words and words alone are the beginning, middle and end of all matters, then it is perhaps understandable that one's principal concern for a dictatorship brutally repressing a populace crying out for freedom, is the 'tenor and tone' of the dictators.

The problem, of course, is that the real world goes beyond mere words and sophistry, and into concrete actions. Out in the world beyond the academic, the literary, the poetic prose, the nuance and the tortured moral equivalence, we face concrete things such as:

- killing of the lowest order: not in the name of preserving the life and liberty of one's neighbors, as soldiers must sometimes do, but in order deny our neighbors these god given rights,

- state repression: not mere crimes committed by society's outcasts, but sanctioned wrongs which cannot elicit punishment, and

- control of thought, speech and information: not a purposeful, debated and balanced weighing of competing societal interests, but a bald control of information as a tool to retain power.

I draw on these examples because those who live in a world of nuanced moral equivalences, those who pointed to the monitoring of suspected terrorist calls, or a handful of rogue soldiers in Abu Garib, as examples of the worst kind of state repression (often for purely partisan reasons), are now befuddled and muted when confronted with the stark differences in that which they have claimed were the same.

The reason there are millions of citizens crying out in Iran, as opposed to a handful of special interest groups with a cackle of special interest media following them around, is that there is a difference between grievances we experience in the West and the horrors those from countries like Iran must endure. It is quantifiable, calculable, and morally certain. Our handful of "repressors" at Abu Garib were investigated and punished in accordance with the law. Their repressors ARE the law. There is no comparison between state repression of freedoms, and the imperfections and grievances that will always arise in a modern democracy.

An epic battle is being waged at a time and place that will no doubt shape the history of our World. In this battle there is no mushy middle. There are no nuanced qualifications or limitations. It is not about tone or tenor.

It is simply about right and wrong.
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No "Hope and Change" for Iranians

2009-06-19T04:32:00.001-07:00

Krauthammer. Read it all.

During the presidential election those who actually sought to scrutinize, rather than fawn over Obama (much of the media being in the latter category) noted his 130 "present" votes in the Illinois legislature and wondered if he would also take a pass on hard decisions as president.

As Krathammer rightly notes, what's going on in Iran may be the beginning of the end of brutal theocratic rule and a tectonic shift towards democracy in that region. Millions cry out for democracy against rulers who are avowed enemies of the U.S. and whose main export in the region is terrorism and proxy warriors.

And Obama votes "present".

Shameful.
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Media Bias By the Numbers

2009-06-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

ABC News, which is hosting what is essentially an Obama infomercial on his health care plan, has its donations numbers released.

By way of background, the general public voted roughly 53% to 47 %, for Obama.

So did ABC employees donate close to 50:50? Nope.

55: 45? Keep trying.

60:40? Uh uh.

75:25? Not even close.

Try 33:1.

At that level, imagine the group think, the complete one-sidedness, the base assumptions that not only go unchecked, but where the alternative viewpoint is not even comprehended. By the way, these numbers are no aberration but are consistent with other similar studies.

There's a reason why the implicit message in every media story is "why isn't the government doing something", why conservatives' ads are viewed as abhorrent even if they're true whereas Liberal dishonest ads ("we're not making this up") are just normal politics, why the media has long since forgotten the greatest political scandal of our time which tore at the very underpinnings of government accountability - bypassing it to flog a conservative PM from two decades ago, why Harper giving a speech to Americans is viewed as the under current of U.S. manifest destiny whereas pointing out Iggy actually declared himself to be American is somehow off base, etc, etc, etc.

The media is on their team. It's as simple as that.
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Did I Hear That Correctly? Iggy's Back to Blustering About Taking Down the Conservatives?

2009-06-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Let me at him, just let me at him" Iggy yells to an empty school yard, an hour after he ran away from his after-school fight with the biggest kid in class he had bragged about beating to a pulp all week long.

(Translation for the french link: "Iggy's telling his troops to prepare for a November election")
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Iggy: Credibility Gone

2009-06-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Two opposing parties agree to have a look at an issue a few months down the road - seems reasonable to me.

The problem for Iggy, is that for weeks he was promising his supporters the rumble in the jungle, the battle royal, doing the "if you don't give me what I want, I'll bring you down...just try me" bluster, when all he was ever prepared to do was have a nice little fireside chat. The NDP will be merciless at Iggy's failure to obtain anything concrete.

But the results of this fizzled melodrama are far less important than what it says about the man who wants to one day lead this great country. If his supporters can't trust him to do what he says why should the rest of us? After going so far out on a limb to show he means business, only to crater when the chips were down, how can he ever be taken seriously?
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If Not Now, Then When?

2009-06-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

The liberal media is in a foul mood. The folks at Macleans Blog are engaging is excessive apathy - trying too hard to show they're dismissive and disinterested and thus evidencing the precise opposite.

The Libloggers aren't happy campers either. They all have good reason to be disappointed. It appears the brilliant anointed one won't take down a conservative government supposedly unfit to govern, in the midst of the worst economic downturn in a generation.

Perhaps aligning with their friends in the media in a desperate and continual search for the scandal du jour to provide an instant road to power, instead of figuring out where they stand from an ideological and policy standpoint, isn't the way to go after all.

Then again, perhaps they've figured out that there's no where to go ideologically, and have decided that daily attempts to manufacture a scandal are their only chance at power.

Putting aside the long term prospects of the Liberal brand, the most pressing question Liberals everywhere must be asking themselves is: if not now, then when?
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The Academic's Solution: More Questions

2009-06-16T05:32:00.001-07:00

About what you'd expect from a man who spent his adult life in academia where there is no need for concrete solutions to concrete problems.

Of Self Importance and International Significance

2009-06-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

It's fitting that the self indulgent melodrama concocted whole cloth out of virtually no real issue other than a steadfast academic belief in one's natural supremacy, is occurring during one of the most significant political turn of events of our time.

Some perspective appears to be in order.
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Liberals' Prayers that Economic Turmoil Will Continue to Go Unanswered - Worse, Stimulus Spending to "Unwind"

2009-06-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

It was refreshing to hear last week, a chief Liberal strategist be so open with their lament that what may be good for the Canadian people - economic recovery - will be very bad for the Liberals.

Given that the stock market is a leading indicator and unemployment is always a trailing indicator (meaning it improves last) the Liberals are right to worry. Stocks are way up from their lows early last year and now we have word that the G8 is already preparing for a worldwide economic recovery.

It's also a bad news twofer for those on the left: it portends continued conservative rule, yes, but they're also discussing unwinding the stimulus packages. For the rest of us, economic downturns are a bad thing, albeit an inevitable occurrence where the market "correct" inherent inefficiencies or problems in the economy, giving us a natural economic cycle. To those on the left, a downturn is an opportunity to remind voters that the market is imperfect, and with the help of a pro-statist media, attempt to convince the populace that the economy can be made perfect and the pain of these downturns avoided if only we had bigger government and more spending. Make no mistake about it, to those on the left, there is to be nothing temporary about "stimulus spending".

Yet just when the spending party started, Flaherty and others in the G8 are already planning the big spending "exit strategy".

Good news for us. Bad news for the left. And bad news for the Liberals.
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Beware of Pre-Election Polling

2009-06-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Polls taken beyond an election call are generally not very reliable. I seem to recall Dion neck and neck with Harper (or even in the lead) in the summer leading up to the election.

The reason is twofold.

1) Such polls test general apathy/antipathy and historical leanings, as a concrete decision is not imminent. In this instance, Iggy generally stands for some harping from the sidelines, but no real concrete alternative. In an economic downturn being on the harping side will naturally pull polling in your favour, but it should not be confused with actual intention on voting day.

2) Pollsters can afford to push poll or otherwise not be too careful in their methodology, as a true test of accuracy is so far out, there is plenty of time to become more scrupulous.

Of course, that doesn't stop the media from measuring Harper for his political coffin.
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Iggy's Matrix

2009-06-13T04:59:00.000-07:00

There's a very good chance we'll be heading to the polls for a summer election and the answer lies in the truth to those "evil" ads about Iggy:

He came here for one reason only - to lead the country. He'll hold his nose and stay in Canada for that reason, but not to languish in opposition for some indefinite period. Not with that cushy Ivy League job waiting for him on the home front.

While us Canadians savor any prospect of an improving economy, we can imagine that to Iggy such news is like the smell of "humans" to agent Smith in the Matrix - a tortuous reminder of what he has to endure to stay here.

He will only hold his nose for so long.

Update: I see a friend of Biff's Place, Joanne has a different take.
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Where do the Liberals Go?

2009-06-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Red Tory has an interesting post up wherein he opines that Iggy doesn't appear to offer any tangible alternative to what the Harper government is doing.

I agree. But this isn't just a problem for Iggy, it's a problem for the Liberals and it's one that won't go away any time soon. It is also a problem that existed for well over a decade but was masked in the Chretien era by the fractured right. In the Chretien days, the Liberals could occupy the center-center. They didn't have to concern themselves with being in the center-right or center-left because the conservatives weren't really in the game. As long as they had policies that put them in the mushy middle they were fine. All the while the NDP carried the true "progressive" banner.

Times have changed and there is no doubt now that the right is unified and will be for some time. So who is the "party of the left"? Were the Liberals a real ideological alternative to Harper the last time around or were they a lesser of two evils - a somewhat bitter pill for progressives to swallow in an "anybody but Harper" strategy? Can a party that ostensibly appears to exist to attain power for power's sake, continue to occupy a field with two competing ideological alternatives for Canadians?

The next decade will be an interesting period in the Canadian polity. Some say that it is time for the "left to unite" with the assumption that it will be the NDP that folds into the Liberals. I'm not so sure that it won't be the other way around. Not with an explicit organized effort - but over time, with political forces naturally taking their course.
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You Can Take Iggy out of Academics, But You Can't Take the Academic Out of Iggy

2009-06-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

Across the country offices are welcoming summer students into their fold. A few minutes of introductory conversation with these wide-eyed pupils brings one back to university days, before entering the real world. Theirs is the world of "grades" not results. Not a concrete world where decisions have to be made that will inevitably have consequences, but a world within the confines of abstract words, where the only real consequence is a letter a teacher will grant at the end of the day.

We anxiously await Iggy's grade.
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Media: Harper is "Embattled"...by the Media

2009-06-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

Same story from yesterday about Harper desperately trying to paint a "rosy picture". But the Star decides to describe him as "embattled" in the first paragraph.

I think it's great that the media tells us how we are to interpret facts in a story, rather than just telling us the facts. For one thing, I'm not smart enough to figure these things out myself, and so there's always the danger that I might interpret Canada being among the economically best placed countries in the world, as somewhat positive. I never would have realized that this was just unnecessary "rosy[ness]" - thank goodness for my media keepers helping me how to think in the correct way.

But the best part is I don't have to wade into any opinion pieces while I read the news. They're now one and the same. A one stop shop!
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Media Reports Harper to Paint a "Rosy Picture" In Economic Report

2009-06-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

Liberal media clairvoyance.

They just know Harper won't be honest. From the bottom of their liberal hearts.

UPDATE: Interesting. Very interesting. After this post they changed the story. The original stated:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to present a rosy picture of his Conservative government’s handling of the recession Thursday in a slick made-for-TV presentation designed to forestall a quick summer election.

Now its scaled back to a "good report".

Keeping 'em honest over here at Biff's place.

UPDATE 2: Did they change it back or am I seeing things?
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Goose Killing Windmills

2009-06-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

The liberal elite media tells us that the revelation of diverting "wind money" to development of oil exploration is another blow to Harper: a conclusion we are supposed to take away from the latest "Bombshell!!" out of Private Conversation With Communications Person[gate].

Memo to liberal establishment: toying with the idea of killing the goose that laid our golden economic egg may still be good latte conversation among polite company, out here in the real world where a global economic collapse is putting us on the brink of disaster, folks are a tad more forgiving about fostering the greatest economic engine our nation has ever seen.
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Raise Your Hand if You've Ever Been Deported for Being a Supporter of a Terrorist Group

2009-06-10T05:24:00.001-07:00

Bob? Bob, I see you at the back of the class. C'mon now, put that hand up. I know its a little embarrassing being the only one, but it's time to fess up.
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Iggy's Liberals: All Things to All People

2009-06-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

With the right united, and the NDP anchoring the left, where are the Liberals to go? The Chretien era was relatively easy for the Liberals since they really had no viable opposition - the right was fractured and the NDP never had enough votes to gain power. Dion was an experimentation in bringing the party to its far left base, with an eco-carbon tax agenda that would make the Sierra Club proud.

Now Iggy's trying to bring the party back to the right and the left isn't liking it. The outcry over Iggy's support of the Tory crime bill is mounting. These are dangerous times for the Liberals. Attempts to move to the right may cause a loss of votes to the NDP, since Harper has been governing for awhile and the "anybody but scary Harper" meme that the Liberal's leveraged to gain NDP strategic voting will be far less effective. Meanwhile, right leaning voters may have already picked their horse in this race.

Iggy seems to be left with trying to be all things to all people. This may work in the very short term, but eventually people start to notice when your positions change with the days of the week and your ideology swings like a pendulum.

In the long run, trying to be all things to all people results in one being nothing to everyone.
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News Important to All Canadians

2009-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today I got home from work, clicked on "Google News Canada" and what do I see? Wall to wall coverage of Canada's economic performance outpacing the World's. The heavy coverage is not surprising since the issue dramatically affects every man, woman and child in this country, both from an economic well being standpoint, but also as a much needed psychological break from our constant fiscal worries. The media really goes for those "human impact" stories that are important to all of us.

I'm such a kidder.

Actually, our media elites are telling us that a private conversation between a Conservative cabmin and her communications person - a story inside politicos of a left leaning persuasion are frolicking over - is also the most important news for all Canadians. Information on our economic well being? You'll have to head over to Joanne's for inconsequential stuff like that.
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Scandal du Jour in "Political Firestorm!" Season

2009-06-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

A Conservative.

Seeks to position an issue in a favorable light.

In discussions with their communications person.

In Canada.

We're not making this up.

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Quebec: So European, So...Conservative?

2009-06-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Chantal Hebert often has insightful articles. Today she postulates that Quebec as a province is holding back the CPC from a majority, because it is largely "progressive".

Ms. Hebert should be cautious about making such generalizations. Yes there are certainly pockets in Quebec, particularly in the Montreal region, that are firmly left leaning. However, outside of Montreal there are vast swaths of area that one could describe as independent or even conservative leaning. More importantly, one must never forget that facts and events have a significant impact on who the population chooses to put into power. One need only look at the EU elections as evidence of this. If you asked me a few days ago if I considered Europe to be a mostly conservative continent it would have taken me a few moments to stop laughing to answer "...ah...no."

I wouldn't be laughing at that question today.
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Imagine - The Largest Political Money Laundering Scheme in the Nation's History

2009-06-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I think Sunday will be the day we imagine, over here at Biff's Place. Below we briefly pondered a world in which Iggy wasn't defended by the media, but rather scrutinized the same way (or even a fraction of the way) Harper was when he started out as party head.

Now let's have some real fun imagining. What if the Airbus inquiry wasn't about a $300,000 private payment, but instead involved tens of millions of dollars. And let's imagine further that the funds didn't belong to some overseas businessman but was the taxpayers' money. Heck, let's go further and add in the fact that this taxpayer money was taken under the guise that it had to be spent saving the country from break-up, but instead was funnelled back into a political party for partisan gain.

On to the juicy part: let's pretend that we know that the ill gotten booty- tens of millions of dollars worth - was apportioned to various people in a political regime, not to a defunct party from two decades ago, but involving a party last in power in 2006 and one currently trying to get in power as we speak.

And finally the kicker: let's say that we've never known who were the specific benefactors within the party, but now someone on the inside publicly declares that he will name names.

I wouldn't want to be leading that party when news got out - the grilling would be sheer madness,

I imagine.
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Iggy: Hidden Agenda Free

2009-06-07T10:52:00.001-07:00

Remember the days when Harper first came to power as head of the CPC and sought to take over the reigns of government. Liberal suggestions of a "hidden agenda" weren't chastised as being mean spirited. They were dutifully delved into.

Remember the media pouring over his past writings, his associations, his meetings? I seem to recall the slightest phrase, utterance or even the look on his face being examined (complete with the most unflattering images seeking to capture the "cold stare") in search of that nefarious unseen plot that was assumed to be lurking just around the corner. "What was that you say? A conservative candidate in one of the three hundred ridings is a devout Christian? From the Wild West no less? There it is! American style religious right wing extremism!"

Imagine the media storm if Harper had said this, at the time he was vying for the top job:

"The best possible Canada, is a Canada with Albertans in power!"

Whoa, Nelly.

New To Blogging Tories

2009-06-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Biff's Place just became a BT member!

I'm looking forward to contributing what I can to the conservative blogosphere, and welcome fellow BT members, pull up a chair and stay awhile.

67 MPH? Way Too Fast! 175 MPH? Sounds About Right

2009-06-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

Another chart kept safely out of the mainstream press. It's all over the blogosphere because its so obviously informative, and so startling. Remember Bush's evil deficits and the cry's of "the children's future! Think of the children's future!"

Behold, the past and projected deficits:

Canada Was so Last Week

2009-06-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

You can take Iggy out of London, but you can't take the London out of Iggy.

Our international man of mystery (do we know what he stands for yet - other than a desire to rule over us, I mean) has managed to find his way back to his foreign academic roots, notwithstanding his recent blustering that Canada is in shambles, and that he's the only one who can save us.

Sorry kids, I realize the school house is burning down, and would love to help out, but I've got a book signing with a few school chums of my own in London. Tally ho!